Numbers 18:21-32 – Why should we give tithe?

In numbers 18:8-20, we were told how God provided for the sustenance of the priesthood. Besides supporting the priesthood, the offering of sacrifices and the redemption of the firstborn carried with them a message. It was a reminder to the people that every life belonged to the Lord. For on the night of the first Passover in Egypt, their lives were spared because God took the firstborn of Pharaoh and the Egyptians. The redemption of the firstborn of Israel, both of men and animals was to be a reminder that Israel was God’s firstborn. Hence, their lives belonged to the Lord, and had to be redeemed.  

Now in Numbers 18:21-32, God gave instructions on the tithes and first-fruit offerings. Like the redemption of the firstborn, the tithings and the first-fruit offerings also carry with it a message. The former was meant to remind them that their lives belonged to God, the latter was intended to remind them that everything they possessed came from God. He was their owner and all that they had would be rightly His. It was He who gave them the promised land and everything in it. So the tithes and offerings of the first fruit were more than just to support the Levites but also to convey the message of God’s ownership of all that they possessed. In the instruction of tithes, the Levites were not exempted. They had to give a tenth of what they were given to Aaron as an offering to the Lord.

The issue of giving tithes today is a touchy one because it touches one’s pocket. Some felt that this Old Testament practice is no longer binding on Christians today. Others felt that their weekly giving constitute their tithes. It ought to be a subject of discussion for another time. But for our reflection, rather than argue about the practice, the why's and why not's of tithing, we will consider God’s intention in the instruction of tithing. Firstly, giving of tithe is our acknowledgment that God is the owner of all that we possess. All that we have and are belong to Him. Instead of seeing that we are giving to God ten percent of what we have, try to see it this way. That it is God who has allowed us to keep 90 percent of what is His. Secondly, the giving of tithe is our expression of gratitude for the life and possession He has granted to us. Thirdly, in tithing, we recognize that God in His grace has allowed us to share in His work of redeeming mankind. Let us be grateful to God and freely participate in what He wants to do through us! He has promised that there will be no lack when we tithe!